1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device and a method for the contactless personalisation of chips integrated into passports within a system for processing, sorting and packaging a large number of passports comprising a straight main transport path with a first transport direction for transporting the passports one behind the other through the system comprising a plurality of system modules for processing, sorting and/or packaging, according to the preambles of claims 1 and 5.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As security considerations increase, there is an increasing demand for passports which include a chip containing personalisation data comprising passport-specific and person-specific data which can rapidly be read. In a system for processing, sorting and optionally packaging these passports in high numbers, such passports provided with integrated chips, so-called E-passports, must run through inter alia a system module for personalising the chips. In such systems comprising a plurality of modules for processing, sorting and/or packaging the passports, there is a desire not just for a high throughput, i.e. a maximum possible number of passports to be processed per unit time running through the machine, but also for 100% security during coding of the chips in respect of the reliable, in particular contactless, transmission of the coding data.
Systems are known in which passports are arranged one behind the other on a common transport path in order to successively pass through the individual system modules for processing, sorting and packaging the passports. Such systems usually receive the passports in the open condition and have a throughput which depends on the processing times of the coding system module, since the personalisation of the chips and thus of the passports which takes place in this module takes the longest processing time compared to the other system modules.
Since precise alignment of the passport with respect to a coding station carrying out the coding of the chip is necessary for the personalisation process by means of contactless coding, use is made of those single-lane or even multi-lane systems which allow simple handling of the open passports, including with regard to the precise positioning thereof. One example of such a multi-lane system is known from DE 197 09 562 C2, although this is from the field of chip card and/or magnetic strip card processing. In this system, all the system modules are installed next to one another along a suitable number of transport paths running parallel to one another. This leads to high production and maintenance costs of the system.